The Big Red Button
by mario.filipe.94043
Summary: Someone phoned The Doctor,a phone call that overexcited him, but he hardly knew he was going to one of the most enygmatic places in the universe along with one thing:Buttons.
1. The Big Red Button

**Sorry for being inactive for long, I´m working on an other story, criticizes are always welcome.**

**PS- English is not my main language, if you don´t understand a word or a phrase, feel free to tell me.**

The Doctor and Clara were in the TARDIS in outer space when the phone rang.

-"Says the Doctor… who? ... mission? … oh, it has red buttons? " –turns to Clara- "I love red buttons" –Returned to the phone- "Ok I´m in." –shuts off the phone.

-"Who was it?" –Inquired Clara.

-"I don´t know… female voice, actually a very familiar female voice ,she insisted not to say her name, anyway" -claps once with his hands- "we are leading to Vortlith, there we are gonna explore a cave, but the important part is…" –smiles- "there are red buttons, big red buttons involved.

-"Big red buttons?" – exclaimed Clara in a tone of surprise- "Don´t you think it is a little weird description about the mission? I don´t know but I think one would tell about the risks, the treasures, the mission itself, not about… well buttons"

-"Don´t say it" –shouted the Doctor indignant- "buttons are important, they are more important, no much more important than these little…silly…things" –turns to the console panel and pulls a lever- "anyway, let´s go Clara"

The TARDIS shook all and some moments after, she stopped in Vorlith, there were people wandering around, some with very good scout equipment.

The Doctor left the TARDIS with a really smiling expression.

-"You look a little overexcited Doctor, a little too much" –stated Clara"

-"Why shouldn´t I? I´ve never been to this planet, this is completely new for me… and"- smiles- "there are red buttons"

The Doctor greeted those people.

-Hello, I am the Doctor, this is" –points at Clara- "Clara, my companion, but you should probably know it already" -looks all around as if he wants to find a specfic person- "someone of you invited me after all… anyway" –shuffles his hands- "where are the buttons?"

-"Buttons? Oh that buttons, they are inside that cave, that is where your mission starts" –replied one of the people.

They saluted the Doctor who went to the cave.

The cave was a single cubic room with an ancient tablet at the end of it.

The Doctor looked annoyed.

-"Hey, where are the buttons?" – protested the Doctor while looking at everywhere- "Is this the cave?" -said it annoyingly- "I supposed it was a slightly more… uh… bigger, not this little cubic annoying box.

-"More bigger? Seriously?" –exclaimed Clara.

-Oh come on, you are not willing to teach me grammar, are you? I invented it, just so you know, and yes you can say more bigger, it just means its bigger than… bigger.

-"You … invented … grammar?" –asked Clara really surprised.

-Yeah, don´t ask why, not important, well it is, but not for now.

Clara then wandered around the room and found a stone tablet which had probably letters.

-"Doctor! Doctor, come see this" –turns to the inscription- " I can´t read this inscription, I don´t even know if this is readable, see if you can"

The Doctor then run towards Clara and observed the stone inscription.

-Oh, it is Maarean, a really, really very ancient language.

-Can you read it?

-"I guess so, I had some classes of it as a student, let me see" –starts reading.

You won´t pass ever,

If you are not clever.

-"What does that means?" – inquired Clara confused- "Is it some kind of…uh… puzzle?"

-"It must be" –replied The Doctor while looking all around- "I think…uh… we will need intelligence to leave this room, luckily we got" –smiles- "Me."

A big red button showed up right in from of them as soon as the Doctor pronounced these words.

-Oh, a button, a big red button as they promised, haha, I suppose we must press it right? That's what buttons do… I think.

-Ok Clara, be ready, 3…2…1… GEROOOONIMOOOOOO.

The Doctor pressed the button and they dematerialized to materialize in a different room.

-"But… the room changed" –stated Clara"

-"No" –Replied the Doctor- "We changed, pressing the button must have teleported us here, so this is…."

The Doctor stopped as soon as he heard these words.

-Hello sweetie!


	2. The Cave Of Buttons

-"uh?…sweetie? There is only one person in the universe who calls me that, is that you River?" –turns back and find River along with some soldiers.

-Oh, I´m glad you didn´t forget me sweetie.

-"How could I?" -replied with a nostalgia in his eyes

River turned to Clara.

- "Clara, hello" –starts murmuring- "Did he talked about me?"

-Oh, yes a lot…uh…not really, sorry.

-My Doctor, it´s ok, he is always like this.

While Clara and River were chatting the Doctor looked suspiciously at River.

-"Big red buttons" –smiles- "You know me way too well , you knew I wouldn't refuse a request like that, didn´t you?"

-Of course I did, aren´t you happy to see me?

The Doctor noticed something, or someone hiding behind Clara, but somehow he tried to hid it not telling anyone about it.

-"uh…weren´t you in stormcage?" –inquired the Doctor when he realized River was turning to Clara.

-"Yes, I were" -River turned again to the Doctor- "But I´m not, they let me out, I spent too much time in there.

-"Sure they did" –says the Doctor laughing- "anyway, why did you call me?"

-Spoilers…

Clara investigated the room cautiously.

-Hey, Doctor, there is another inscription here.

-"What´s this River?" –asked the Doctor to River- "You brought us to a cave where buttons pop up from the ground and we got teleported somewhere else and… uh… stuff"

-Oh, you don´t know this place yet?

-"uh… what do you mean?" –asked the Doctor with a confused look.

-Don´t you listen the rumors and tales?

-Nah, you know me, I don't believe in those …things, tales are just that, tales, I prefer real stuff.

-Aren´t we were?

-Yeah, I suppose, why?

-This cave is the rumor I have heard.

-Oh right, that´s what I was gonna say, the tales are just tales except the ones which aren´t, anyway, why did you come?

-Oh, I couldn´t resist a place like this, and you Doctor? Aren´t you willing to read the inscription?

-"Yeah, yeah the inscription, always the inscription" –moaned the Doctor.

The Doctor started reading the second inscription.

Like a cross,

It will be a loss,

If you push,

The ones who rush.

Five buttons appeared again disposed straight

-"Oh, this one is harder" –shouted the Doctor.

Then the Doctor looks at River and starts laughing.

-"What´s funny?" -inquired Clara.

-"This is the part where he ridicules me" –Said River to Clara.

-"Now, now I got it" –shouted the Doctor still laughing- "you called me because you got stuck inside here" –laughs again- "you can´t solve that one am I right?"

-Absolutely, sweetie ,can you do it?

-Do I have an option?

-No, you have not.

-"uh… I thought so, okay then" –shuffles his hands- "like a cross, a cross, what cross means?"

-"Two lines, I guess" –stated Clara.

-"Yes" –replied the Doctor pointing at Clara- "but no, five buttons, four walls, no two involved" -said it really quickly- " it must means something else, any ideas?"

-"It´s four lines if you count the divided lines" –replied River.

-Four lines? It really can be, River" –turns to her- "Where did u get that scratch" -looks at her arm and points at it- "that one in the arm"

-Oh, you noticed it, this happened a while ago after I had press the first button.

-"The first? Which first?" –asked the Doctor.

-The left one.

-"So there are consequences, the ones who rush, those must be the ones which hurt us, the ones which shouldn´t be pressed" –takes a pause- "So, four lines, four walls , let me check that."

The Doctor analyzed the walls with his sonic screwdriver.

-"It looks like these walls have nothing to hide" –looks at everyone at shouts- "Anyone has suggestions?"

Everyone denied.

-"Ok, great, well not so great, anyway, a cross, actually" –turns to Clara- "it is two lines, or even four depending on the perspective" –looks at River- "but cross must mean something else, something obvious, something related maybe to those five buttons, wait, let me see one little thing..."

The Doctor analyzed the buttons with his sonic screwdriver.

-Wow, all the buttons are…

-"Identical at subatomic levels" –concluded River.

-Yeah, right, how did you know that?

-I checked it before sweetie.

-"Oh, you did it, so" -shouts "so"- " cross, what cross can possibly man related to five?

-"Points" –replied Clara.

The Doctor turned to Clara slowly and exclaimed.

-"Oh, points, exactly, a point-based cross, that is five points" –smiles at Clara- "so, five points, five buttons, now, whose points rush, anyone knows?"

-"Maybe…" –started River.

-Haha, that´s it River" –said the Doctor a little excited- "uh… wait, what were you gonna say?

-The point in the centre, is the only one which can´t hurt if disposed like a cross.

-"Haha, you got there afterall, that should be the answer, the middle button, easy one, though" -said ironically.


	3. Buttons Everywhere

River pressed the middle button and again everyone in the room moved to another similar room.

-"Again?" –asked Clara annoyed- "when this will stop?"

-"uh… I don´t know, the best thing we can do is keep going" –replied the Doctor.

River approached the inscription in this room and start to read.

Different from the first

If you see it right

Equal to the second

If you see it wrong.

-"River" –exclaimed the Doctor- "Since when you know maarean?"

-I learned from the best, sweetie.

-"Oh, I see" –replied the Doctor with a smug- "but I can´t remember it, I wonder why."

-It was not you.

-"Oh" –responded a bit ashamed- "but who said I was thinking on me?"

-"Absolutely no one" –joked both Clara and River.

Five buttons appeared again.

-"Really? Again these lasted buttons?" growled the Doctor.

Clara surprised.

-Weren´t you who loved buttons?

-Me? Uh… yes, long time ago, not now.

-Long time ago? You just overexcited yourself about these same buttons minutes ago.

-"Long time ago, as I said" –replied the Doctor- "Anyway…uh…this one is hard, any ideas?

No answer.

-Ok, than you all, so, different from the first, what this first means?

-"Maybe the first button" –exclaimed Clara"

-It really could be but…

-"There are no first buttons in here" –finished River.

-"Hey, why have you to stop me always?" –muttered the Doctor- "anyway, River is right, we don´t know which first is the first, so it means the first in the inscription is something else, something…" –looks all around-"well, I don´t know"

-"Can it be challenges? I mean, we only did two by far and there are references to the first and second in the inscription" –Inquires Clara.

-"Oh, that´s really a great idea" –said the Doctor smiling at Clara- " so, what did we do in the first room?" –said the Doctor smiling at Clara.

-"We pressed a button, nothing else." –stated Clara.

-"No" –replied the Doctor smiling at Clara- "we pressed THE button, there was only one, so, what can it be different from that?"

-"Pressing all the buttons" –said River walking towards the buttons.

-uh…what are you thinking you are doing? ...River, noo, Nooooooo.

River pressed all the buttons one after the other and the Doctor closed his eyes.

One minute later.

-"Doctor, you can open your eyes!" –said Clara.

-"uh..what?" –answered the Doctor still frightened opening one eye at a time- "arms…checked, legs…checked, I still have an head… I suppose, Okay, I´m fine" –replied the Doctor recomposed- "what happened?"

-Nothing sweetie, we are still inside the same room even after I press all of the buttons.

-River, never, ever do that again, did you even think about the consequences?

-Should I answer that?

-uh… no, no, you better not, anyway what are those button for?

-"Something must have to" –stated River.

-Think, think, think, different from the first, equal to the second but which is which?

-What if It refers to the way we solve the earlier enygms?

-Oh, that could be, let´s think, different from the first"- moves his hands- "River you pressed all the buttons right?

-Yeah, none worked.

-"Okay, so, equal to the second, in the second one we had to push the middle one but" –lifts a finger- "if you see it wrong, this means we have to do the opposite , this means, we must press the ones at the extremes, the question is, which one?

-"Both" –said River.

-"What do you mean?" –inquired the Doctor intrigued.

-Just think, different from the first, if you see it right, that´s why it´s different, instead of pressing one single button we have to press two simultaneously.

-"How couldn´t I?... How did that escape me? You are absolutely right River" –kisses her- "oh… no one saw this" –steps away from River- "Anyone want to do it?

-"What? Kiss River?" –said Clara puzzled- "why should we…"

-"What? Of course not, I was referring to the buttons, anyone wants to press them?"

-Oh, I will do it then, since you ´re scared.

-Scared? Me? Just to prove you how wrong you are, I will press the next ones.

-"The next ones" –Clara laughs- "I really want to see that.

Clara pressed the two supposed buttons.


	4. The Real Trouble

Again, when Clara pressed simultaneously, the buttons on the extreme sides, all of the people inside were teleported to different caves, two to be exactly, the Doctor and River in the first one, Clara and the remaining "soldiers" in the second one.

At Clara´s room.

-"Oh, this feeling, this trips are starting to cause headaches, is everyone fine?" –Clara then noticed that River and Clara were not with them- "Doctor? River?"

One of the soldiers spoke for the first time.

-Miss Clara, I think we got teleported to a different cave from Mister Doctor and Miss River.

-Hey, you actually speak, what´s your name, boy?

-Jack, Miss.

-Don´t call me Miss, please, just Clara.

-As you wish, Miss Clara.

Clara looked at him with a menacing look.

-Clara, sorry, just Clara.

-"Haa, you got it" –smiles to Jack-" what can we do without them?" –notices there is another inscription at the end of the room.

Clara went towards the inscription and tried to read.

-"I can´t read this" –shows the inscription to everyone- "anyone is able to?"

Everyone denied but Jack tried his luck.

-"I know some of this characters, but… I´m afraid I can´t help with this, I don´t even remember the Maarean ABC, sorry, Mi…" –corrects himself- "Clara."

Clara felt a bit useless without the Doctor.

While this happened , the Doctor and River were together inside a similar cave to the one of Clara.

-"Ow, my head" –complained the Doctor- "it hurts"

-"Yeah, it seems this headaches are getting worse and worse each time we got teleported"

The Doctor noticed that only him and River were in that cave.

-"Oh, no, no no no no " -looks all around trying to see Clara- "River, what´s this?"

-"I… I don´t know" –she realizes the Doctor is really upset with her- "Sorry, my love, I really didn´t know this would happen"

-"But it did" –moaned the Doctor- "aaaaaarrrrrgh" –approaches River and threatened her- "If something happens with Clara, I swear" –takes a pause- "aaaaaarrrgh, sorry, sorry River".

River noticed there was another inscription there.

-Sweetie? Hear this.

River start to read.

Double is the mind and the body

Double is the button and the cave

If it´s the double you really crave

That one you must save.

Ten buttons appeared and the Doctor started to think.

-"That´s it, double is the cave, we must have been teleported to two different caves, we, inside this one, Clara and that "soldiers" in another one" –the Doctor started to cheer up- "double is the mind and the body, I suppose that corroborates what I just said, Clara and your men are in the second cave" –shouts- " Now" -begins a thoughtful expression- " the two last verses, If it´s the double you really crave, that one you must save.

The Doctor looked at River more animated and proceeded.

-So, I guess we both want the double, this means, we and Clara together, to do it, that one you must save, this last verse, Its antithetical, the three first verses talks about the double but this one turns all the phrase singleness.

-Sweetie?

-uh? What?

-That phrase, I think we have to unify all the doubles, this is, the mind, the body, the buttons and the cave…

-"What do you mean?" –asked the Doctor interrupting River.

-Basically, we and the ones in the another cave must act as if we were one.

-"Ow, ooow, that´s pretty feasible, so, act if we were one right? How can we do that?What can relate us between the two caves?" -then the Doctor created a really funny look as if he discovered something that matters- "Of course, the buttons, if we want to act as one we must press the exact same buttons..."

-"Yeah, something like that" –replied River smiling.

-"Silly Doctor" –slaps himself- "Of course it is, the difficulty in this problem lies not in the enigma itself but in its realization" –The Doctor notices this time there are 10 buttons- "moreover, now there are 10 buttons, we must press the same one as Clara, but how can we know which? There is no singular button, there is no centre button, no extreme button, there are two of each one in this disposition, the chances are really, really tiny.

-We have 1 out of 10 , may be worth a try.

-No, stop it River, this time if we fail it won´t cause just a scratch on your arm, it is Clara´s life which is in danger, we must think about this really carefully.

-Okay, sweetie, so we have to find the most important thing to Clara and relate it with the buttons, and we both know what that thing might be.

-"Do we?" –inquired the Doctor confused- "You can do but I´m not seeing what"

-"Of course you are, it´s obvious, You" –emphasizes the word "you"- "You are the most important thing to her"

-"Ow, me" -said the Doctor surprised- "right, and how can we relate it with the buttons?

-The letters, Doctor…D-O-C-T-O-R, six letters, she trusts you more than anyone, she will risk her life , she will press the sixth button, I´m sure, believe me.

-"That doesn´t work like that" -replied the Doctor almost indignant- "I may be the most important thing to her, but that´s not true for me...

River laughed.

-I´m not seeing the joke here, to be honest, can you explain?

River was still laughing.

-You can´t be the most important thing to yourself but Clara is.

-Clara has not six letters, well, if you say it in zoogran it has but the last time I saw it in english it had five.

-But oswald have, O-S-W-A-L-D.

Doctor let out a "ow" really loud.

-"Wow, that is... wow... oswald , six letters, it can´t be a coincidence, you are brilliant River" -kisses her again- "Ow, this is becoming a rotine, I suppose .

River then replied siling and with a joking tone.

-At least is a good one, don´t you think?

-"Yeah, I suppose" -said the Doctor a little embarassed.

The Doctor then remembered something that made him shout "ow" again.

-Except if…

-Except if what?

-You may be right but there is a slight detail you didn´t consider yet, a very important one.


	5. The Cave Unveiled

At Clara´s cave, Clara was starting to get nervous while Jack was trying to animate her.

-"Miss…" –takes a pause when he realizes his error- "Clara, do you believe in the Doctor right?"

-Yes, I do, but he is not here, no one here can read that and therefore we won´t be able to leave this room and…

Jack noticed Clara was talking too quickly, maybe because of her jitters, so he interrupted her.

-Clara, River is alongside with the Doctor, with those two together, I think we are in safe hands, don´t you think?

-"Yeah, I suppose you got a point" –replied Clara more amused- "But what are we supposed to do?"

-"Wait is our last resort, but I got a feeling we won´t have to wait much longer" –said Jack smiling.

Jacks ´talk had effect on Clara because this one is now less nervous and more chatty.

At River and Doctor´s room the problem was a different one.

-I´m not getting it, sweetie, what is possibly escaping me?

-Your idea presupposed Clara is able to read the tablet, but what if she can´t?

The Doctor start to walk all over the place speaking to River.

-"Actually, this is not a possibility, it´s a reality, Clara really can´t read Maarean, this means, she can´t ever know what does she have to do" –stops and looks at River directly- "Are any of your men able to read Maarean?"

-No, as far as I know, none of them is.

-As I supposed, so we have to … somehow teach Clara how to read it, at least just that inscription, if we can do it, we win.

The Doctor started to cheer himself but River was now more concerned.

-But it´s impossible, we can´t do that, we can´t leave this room at first place.

-"Oh, you are so wrong there" -replied the Doctor with a really smiling face- "Yes, we can leave this place, well technically it is possible" –creates an aside speech- "Actually it´s impossible but" –lifts a finger- "we don´t have to leave this cave to do it.

The Doctor looked at River´s arm but River was now even more confused than before.

-I´m still not getting it…

Doctor interrupts River.

-It doesn´t matter if you get it or not, do you have your teleportation device with you?

-"Yes, it´s here" –Clara takes off the device in her arm and gives it to the Doctor- "What are you …ow, that´s a good, no, great idea but…"

-"But?" –replied the Doctor smiling as if he knew what River was about to say.

-You can´t get out of here, I´ve already tried.

-Are you paying the minimal attention to what I say? I said earlier I didn't need to get out of here to execute my plan.

-Yeah, I heard that, but I told you I didn't get it, and I´m not getting it yet.

-Oh, right, so let me explain.

The Doctor prepared himself to his speech and began, once again, to walk all over the place.

-"I´ve been analyzing this cave since I entered it, do you know what did I discover?" –takes a pause to let River reflect- "I´ll tell you, this cave, better, all this caves are just a single one, a single cubic inter dimensional box, so what are those walls?" –looks and points at the four walls in the room- "I´ll explain, in truth those are not walls, somehow the cave itself gave us the idea of being trapped in a small area, those walls are nothing more but a barrier in your mind created by the cave, that´s why I told you the walls had nothing to do with the buttons earlier ago, you must be thinking right now you could easily dodge the walls by not thinking of it" –he guessed it right- " but you can´t, this cave is constantly creating in your mind the idea of the barrier, even if you forget it a moment, the cave remembers it for you, therefore this cave must have the ability to turn its thought into reality, the walls for example, so, if this cave and Clara´s one is the same aren´t I able to travel t there with your device?

River started to understand.

-It´s brilliant but wouldn´t the cave prevent the travel too?

-That´s the second part of my plan, a really great one I must say.

The Doctor proceeded with his speech.


	6. The Secret Of She Cave

-"So, while it is true the cave" –thinks about the phrase better and said it in a more correct way- "well , your thoughts prevent you from leaving this place, and yeah, thoughts can be that powerful, there is a way to dodge that barrier.

The Doctor straightened his bow tie and spoke directly to River.

-"With this teleportation device, I won´t travel in space but in time" –River made a weird expression as if she didn't understand the Doctor´s words- "Oh, c´mon, is that so hard to understand? Just think a bit" –The Doctor began to perform gestures in order to help River to understand- " The barrier in your mind is a physical barrier, a spatial barrier, to be more concrete, knowing so , we can easily dodge it travelling in time, and" –emphasizes the word "and" – "since all this caves are just a single one, we are not getting out of it, did you understand?"

River looked amazed by the Doctor´s speech.

-Wow, it´s really a great idea, it´s brilliant, so if I got it right you are going to the past to tell Clara what button she must press, I love it sweetie.

-uh, no, you are still wrong, well at least partly, yes I´m going to the past but I can´t ever tell Clara what button she must press, what I´m going to do is just tell Clara what that inscription says, then we must hope she press the right one.

-"But why?" –asked River confused- "wouldn´t it be simpler telling her the button she must press?"

-"No, she is a telepathic being, a really very telepathic being, what she wants us to do is that the ones in this cave and the ones in the another cave think as one, that´s why all means of communication are shut off, in other words, if I tell Clara to press the wibbly wobbly button, we are not following her rules, therefore it won´t work and we will be stuck in here" –takes a pause to think- "maybe… forever."

-She? Is Clara a telepathic being?

-"Of course not" –shouted the Doctor almost indignantly- "That would be silly, I was referring to the cave.

The Doctor went towards one of the walls and started to caress her.

-This cave, is a she isn´t it obvious?

-"A she?" –replied River incredulous- "How can a cave be a she?

-"I´ll explain it later, now I have stuff to do… Bye!

The Doctor vanished with a smiling expression letting River alone.

-"There he goes" –River approached one of the walls- "How can this be a she?"

The Doctor travelled to some minutes earlier.

-"Big red buttons, you know me way too well , you knew I wouldn't refuse a request like that, didn´t you?" –This was what the Doctor heard.

-Wait, I remember this… anyway, I must put my thoughts in Clara´s head, quickly.

-"Of course I did, aren´t you happy to see me?" –This was River´s talking to the past Doctor.

The past Doctor then noticed the Doctor was behind Clara, this one told him by gestures not to tell anyone he was there.

River was about to turn to Clara, and therefore she would notice the Doctor, knowing so, the past Doctor invented something fast.

- uh…weren´t you in stormcage?"

River turned to the past Doctor and replied.

- Yes, I were, but I´m not, they let me out, I spent too much time in there.

The past Doctor gained time enough to let the Doctor transmit his thoughts about the inscription to Clara´s head.

-"This should be enough" –said the Doctor to himself while vanishing again.

The Doctor returned to River´s almost exact time and place he left her.

-Ow, here already?

The Doctor smiled to her.

-Yeah, I´m the king of effectiveness.

-Were you able to transfer your thoughts to her?

-"Yes, it´s done, she should remember my thoughts in about…" –looks at his watch- "two minutes.

At Clara´s cave, two minutes later.

-Ow, this feeling… aaaaaa, what´s this…

Jack, seeing Clara in a pain, tried to understand what was happening.

-Are you alright, miss Clara?

-"Yeah, I suppose" –she began to receive the message sent by the Doctor- "Wait, the Doctor, the Doctor is in my head."


	7. Doctor s Only Hope

-"But how is the Doctor inside your head?" –asked Jack not yet totally convinced.

-"I don´t know, but I´m seeing him" –replied Clara with her eyes closed and her head low-"…wait, he is trying to tell me something…it´s about the inscription.

Jack tried to communicate with Clara but she was so absorbed and concentrated in the Doctor´s words that she didn't paid attention to Jack, therefore Jack was talking almost to no one.

-Are you alright? Can you hear me? Hello? Miss Clara?" –these were some of Jack´s questions.

Clara was now hearing the words pronounced by a smiling Doctor inside her head.

-"Okay, so, Clara, that inscription that you should find there, pay attention, pay attention like there is no tomorrow, I won´t be able to tell you twice, are you ready?" –The Doctor creates a weird funny expression- "well, even if you aren´t, here I go, once more pay attention.

Clara repeated the Doctor´s words a bit loud, although a bit slowly.

Double is the mind and the body

Double is the button and the cave

If it´s the double you really crave

That one you must save.

While Clara pronounced these words, the soldiers and Jack looked confused by such random words.

-What happened there, what did the Doctor say?

Clara, not yet concerned about the inscription replied happily, well a little more than that, overexcited would be the precise word.

-"He came to help" –smiles a bit more- "I knew he would find a way, he always does".

Jack was more concerned about what Clara said earlier.

-But mi… uh… Clara, what were those words ?

-Oh, that, that is the words in the inscription, translated to English, of course.

-Can you remember them?

-Yeah, let me think… I know it has something to do about the double… wait… I think this is it.

Clara then told Jack what the Doctor told to her, even though she was not absolutely sure those were the exact words given to her by the Doctor.

Double is the… " –speaks really slowly and with a lot of breaks while trying to think about it- "mind … and the boy, no body, double is the button and …uh… the cave, if it´s the double you… wait…uh… I know it , I know that I know, ah, I remembered it now, if it´s the double you really crave, that one you must save.

Clara then realized these words meant to her absolutely nothing.

-"Ow" –she let out this exclamation- "what´s this?"

-"Didn´t the Doctor tell anything more?" –replied Jack disappointed.

-"No, this was everything he told me, let me repeat" -pauses a little before saying the whole phrase- "double is the mind and the body, double is the button and the cave, if it´s the one you really crave, that one you must save…"

Everyone in the room didn´t have a clue about what that should mean, therefore everyone made a confused look as if they didn´t understand a word of it, and again, Clara felt useless without the Doctor.

At River Song and Doctor´s place, the Doctor was restless, he didn´t know if Clara could solve or not the inscription even after he told her everything he could.

River, seeing the Doctor like that, tried to calm him down.

-"Sweetie" –replied with a sweet voice and smiling face- "Clara is a clever girl, it´s not a simple enigma that will defeat her for sure, believe in her.

-"Simple?" –shouted indignant- "a simple enigma? How can you call this a simple enigma? Of course it is not just a simple enigma, I don´t know if Clara…

River interrupted him.

-Clara is clever, I said, and what do you want by going crazy and concerned like that? You get nothing, everything now is in her hands.

The Doctor looked like he realized River was right and stopped being restless, then he calmed down a bit and stated with a false smile in his face.

-"Ok, you are right, we can´t do nothing I suppose" –takes a slight pause- "so, let´s press the button, then, well then we will see.

Doctor went towards the ten buttons and was going to press the sixth one from the right when River put her hands over the Doctor´s hands saying:

-You are not thinking doing this all by yourself, are you?

The Doctor really appreciated this River´s reaction and smiled to her.

-Thank you River, well, it was you who led us here at first place but, what is life without adventures?

The Doctor and River pressed the sixth button.


	8. Clara Must Think

The few seconds Doctor and River needed to press the sixth button were almost causing a dual-heart-attack to the Doctor, River, seeing the Doctor sweating and restless, again smiled a little.

Just right after they pressed the button, the room submerged into deep silence, the Doctor couldn´t pronounce a word and River didn´t have anything to say, nothing happened.

The Doctor, who really hates silence, found bravery enough inside him to pronounce something.

-"Ok, it looks like Clara didn´t press anything yet, this means…"-The Doctor creates an annoying expression- "we have to wait…"

River looked at him but she didn´t found words to reply, seeing so, and in order to avoid the silence again, the Doctor kept talking.

-So, what can we do here besides wait? Something not boring, something not… dull neither annoying, something funny.

River still didn´t replied.

-"Oh, River please" –shouted him upset- "you are making the things worse than they already are, say something, anything serves, I mean, Anything" –emphasizes the word "anything" a lot.

-uh…ok, if you wish so…

River started to say the most random things as soon they occurred in her head.

-Bat, Doctor, bed in library, green-white bird, bili-ba-bili-bo, acratyk merdiop, Doctor in China, Tom, the cat…

The Doctor smiled, River told his name twice, and then he interrupted her.

-"Tom, the cat?" –Laughs- "did you met Tom, too? It´s a phenomenal guy, I took him to Ravos once, we had so much fun" –laughs again, the talk about Tom really amused him.

-No, Tom is a character in a cartoon, not a real cat.

-"Of course it isn´t" –he interrupted River- "Tom is a crolian" –creates an aside speech- "one of the most funnier races in the universe, they invented comical, oow they are so good in that matter" –takes a break- "anyway, the cartoon you were saying about earlier was invented by Tom" –River created a funny look at him- "uh… yeah, he gave his name to the cartoon, crolian are nothing humble, though, but still a great species.

River looked happy, she did what she wanted to – making the Doctor more amused.

T he Doctor noticed so, so he returned her a similar happy expression.

The atmosphere in the room was now a romantic one, River looking at the Doctor and vice-versa, both with a really smiling faces, this was turning the Doctor embarrassed, therefore he started to talk again in order to break that moment, reaction which River didn't seem to enjoy.

Meanwhile, Clara, with the help of Jack, was trying to solve the enigma, the remaining soldiers were standing the way they always did, this was annoying Clara who hates being static.

-"Double is the mind and the body, what can this mean?" –asked Clara to Jack.

Jack silenced himself and thought about that phrase.

Since Jack didn´t find an answer, Clara stated quickly.

-Do you know what?

This question almost woke Jack from his thoughts.

-"No" –he replied almost unconsciously.

-Do you have any luck?

-What do you mean?

-We won´t solve this, not in a million years, and I know the Doctor can´t sit down without doing nothing, he bores himself really fast, so one out of ten , is that enough for you?

Jack became astonished by such audacity in those words.

He knew that was wrong, so in order to avoid thinking about it he replied really quickly.

-What button then?

Clara didn´t answer, she approached the buttons and pressed the first one on the left side.

Some seconds before it, the Doctor started to get bored.

-"So nothing to do" –he shouted in despair- "This is completely dull… boring… tedious… uh, silly" –The Doctor started to despair for real- "I need to do something fast, clean the cave, talk with her, kiss River , AAAAA, anything serves to me.

River laughed.

-Kissing River, is it?

-Ow, shut up, I say nonsense when I get bored, you know that.

Back to Clara and Jack, seconds after they pressed the button.

-"Nothing happened" –stated both Clara and Jack surprised like a chorus.

Clara slapped herself in the forehead.

-Of course, how couldn´t I remember it before?

Jack looked at Clara anxious to know what she couldn´t remember.


	9. A new Buttony Thing

-"Back on the first one" –said Clara- "the button only showed up after the Doctor discovered what we should have to pass through" –turns to Jack- "I bet the same happened to you and River".

-"Yeah, it did but I´m not understanding, what is that for?"

-"I´ll explain, or at least I will try, if the button only appeared after the Doctor solved the inscription, this means somehow this cave can… how do I say it?...uh… understand, somehow it can understand us, but if it can understand us, my guess is that we can´t just press the button, we must know why are we pressing it, I don´t know if this is really true or not but that´s what makes more sense to me and…"

Jack seemed to understand.

-"And"- he resumed Clara- "we really need to think about that inscription , right?"

-Yup, I suppose so.

At the same time, at the Doctor´s room.

"-What are you doing, sweetie?" –inquired River when she noticed the Doctor was murmuring to the cave- "Do you speak cave too?"

The Doctor laughed.

-"Speak cave?" –keeps laughing- "caves don´t speak, River, that would be stupid" –looks at her- "What do they teach you in the school?"

-"I didn´t have one" –takes a pause- "but if that is not a cave, what is it? You didn´t tell me yet."

-"Right, this cave, as you call it" –points at it- "it is not a cave, as I said before, it is a telepathic being, a ketrop to be more concrete" –the Doctor starts to think about that name- "ketrop, nice word isn´t it? Ketrop, ketrop… uh, anyway a ketrop is a shapeless being, this creature" –starts to caress her, again- "feeds on people´s thoughts, there are some ketrops in Earth, they are harmless, don´t worry, now the question is: why a cave?"

The Doctor waited a bit to see if River answered, but since she didn't.

-"I tell you, you heard some rumors about a cave, this simple ketrop, when detected you, transformed into the only thing you had in your head at the moment, a cave, since then she is feeding on your thoughts, that´s why we got those headaches…

River interrupted him.

-"Harmless you said, right."

-"Yeah, completely harmless, it is just an headache, nothing more, it could be something much worse like an instant dead or something like that" –he starts to caress her again and murmured to her- "you wouldn´t do that, would you my beauty?" –he then looked the River smiling- "just one more thing, as I said before, rumors and tales are just that, rumors… and …tales."

River understood the criticism there and since she had nothing to say, she was silent watching at the Doctor´s funny expressions while he heard the ketrop´s past.

Back to Clara and Jack.

-"Double is the mind and the body, double is the button and the cave" –says Clara- "double, double, double refers to two, two minds, two bodies, two caves" –Clara acted as if she realized something important- "two caves, of course, one cave for us and the other for them, two minds and two bodies, this means we and them, now if it´s the double you really crave, that one you must save"

Clara didn´t have a clue for this part of the enigma, Jack tried to help.

-"Clara" –hold her hands-" start from the beginning, the "if" refers to a condition, so if we want the double, we need to save the one, we already know what the double means…"

-"Yeah, everyone, we and them " –interrupted Clara.

-"Right, so I guess we want the double, we crave for the double, in other words, I mean to get everyone together, now this last verse, that one you must save, what this one refers to?"

-"I don´t know either" –replied Clara- "let´s think, that one you must save, that one, that one…´

Meanwhile, the Doctor was hearing the ketrop.

-"But what are you doing here?" –the Doctor murmured to her sticking the ear in the wall- "so far from your planet" –the ketrop says something to him- "ow…that´s why you can´t… aw poor thing, hold on we can help you, if Clara…"

River, tired of doing nothing stood up and approached to the Doctor.

-"What´s happening to her? I know that face of yours, you are concerned with something and I have a feeling it is not about Clara, tell me what is with this … ketrop?"

-"Bad stuff, really bad stuff" –replied the Doctor with a sad expression.


	10. Turned Tides

**Hello, once again, this story is reaching to a near end, I´ve to say I enjoyed myself writing this, again english is not my main language but I tried to do my very best. **

**Anyway, I made some slight changes to some of previously chapters, just some details, nothing important, and that´s it.**

**Criticizes are welcome and can help me in further works.**

"Okay, girl" caresses her once again "hold on just a little more, Clara shouldn´t take long" takes a slight pause "I hope."

"Doctor? You didn´t answered me yet, what is happening with that ketrop?"

The Doctor swirled to face River clapping once with his hands.

"Okay, so this ketrop, as I said before is a … a telepathic being, this girl here feeds on people´s thoughts, the problem is:" he adjusts his bowtie " your mind, River "the Doctor went closer to River and hit her forehead with his hands and River looked at him astonished.

"What was that for? Asked River without understanding a thing.

"Ow, the slap, not important... the important is: By the time you approached this place, your mind was full of… aaaah… stuff,stuff inside it"

River interrupted him smiling.

"Yeah, I was excited before arriving here, I couldn´t stop thinking on… ow" River acted as if she solved one great mystery " Ow, of course, all that thinking must have led that creature to a … an psycho exhaustion" River , in turn, caresses the ketrop with a guilty expression "sorry, girl wasn´t my intention" she faces the Doctor " but, one thing, if everything here is product of the ketrop, shouldn´t the psycho exhaustion prevent her from keeping all of this?"

"Wrong again, first" he lefts a finger "psycho exhaustion doesn´t exist, it is a way more complicated thing than that, so hard that not even me is able to understand it at its fullest, second, that yourself-called-psycho exhaustion is like a …. a" he starts to wiggle his hands as a try to think better" a … an addiction to her" he points at River when he said it and he looks at the ketrop with a sad face " poor girl, all your thoughts addicted her so much that now she can´t stop until…." He suspires and stop talking for a bit "she dies."

"But" replied River concerned " if she dies with us inside her, that means we….."

"Yup" concluded the Doctor.

Back to Clara , she was still trying to figure out what could the last verse possibly mean.

"That one, one… unity… singularity… united… that´s it" Clara overexcited for a second "united, we have to unify everything, the mind, the body, the button and the cave"

"Seems legit, but how can we do that?"

"We must think the same as they do, this way, with the same thoughts, wouldn´t we press the same buttons? And wouldn´t that be the same to one singular thought unified together?"

"That's right" Jack cheers up "That´s right" his voice intensifies" Great, miss Clara…

Clara looked at him threateningly.

"Oops, sorry Clara, wasn´t my intention to…"

Clara laughed.

"You can call me everything you want" she becomes more serious now" now, what is the Doctor thinking, what can it be?"

"The most important thing to him certainly is, do you know what that is?"

"I don´t know" Clara looks crestfallen and her voice lowers down "he never tells me anything about him, he is dark like that, I just don´t know"

"Okay" replied Jack trying to cheer her "what´s the most important thing to you?"

"He is, the Doctor, my Doctor"

Jack smiled and approached to the buttons.

"So… are you ready?"

"What… no, we don´t know yet what button we must press…" she said it quickly showing, therefore, concern.

"Yes, we do, the Doctor you said, D-O-C-T-O-R, six letters, sixth button, don´t you think?"

Clara put a big smile on herself.

"Yes… yes it can really be" Clara approached Jack and suspires a deep breath, a really deep one " I´m ready, I suppose, well…like the Doctor says: Geroooonimoo.

She, alongside Jack, pressed the sixth button and closed her eyes.

The Doctor and River heard a deaf sound and everything started to look faded.

"Haha" the Doctor laughs "Clara, she did it, She … Did… It" shouts word by word.

Everyone lost consciousness and appeared lying on the floor of another room, seeming dead


End file.
